steve00 Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I just bought a new set of pickups, and the windings on one of the pickups appear "frayed". Here is a link to a picture: It's a little blurry, but I think you'll see it. The winding does not appear to be broken at any point. Will this fraying of the pickup winding compromise the sound of the pickup at all? Thanks, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 I would just test the pickup first. If there's no sound or it's thin, it's probably messed up. I can't tell in your picture... but perhaps it's just wax that broke up? If you don't want to bother soldering it together, just measure the resistance with a multimeter. If it's close to spec, it's fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve00 Posted July 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 I tested the DC resistance. Specs say 9.8K, I measured 10.2 K on all 3 pickups. Is that a reasonable tolerance? Here's some better pictures. Fray might not be the right word, but the windings are loose across one area where it appears that the pickup cover has rubbed against the windings as it was being put on Is this cause for concern? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAI6 Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Very simple solution.... You bought new pickups. They should be in new condition. They're not. Return them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acousticraft Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 (edited) The windings from the pic looking down on the pickup look like they are loose and have not been wound or wax potted properly. I wouldn't accept a pickup that is not perfect. Send it back for a replacement. What brand are they as a matter of interest? Edited July 10, 2007 by Acousticraft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 if it has loose windings then it will likely produce unpleasant microphic feedback as all those windings start to vibrate. If sending them back isnt an option you need to look into getting them professionally wax potted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 OMG! That is some loose windings you got there. Are those a new set of pickups, or a set of new pickups? It they are new: return them. You shouldn’t have to accept that low standard. If they are used: try to get them potted. That might save the pickups. Potting is actually something you can du yourself, but you might not want to start with some expensive boutique pickups. Look here: http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/A-LINDYFRALIN.html and decide if you can do it. If not: get them potted by a pro. The general look suggests that this is a tapped type single coil or a stacked humbucker. What is it, and do you might share the brand? Next question: Are that some type of tape on the coil on the opposite side from the “frayed” windings? If so: Have you removed the tape on the frayed side? Also, the coil looks very bulky, almost level with the top flange. Everything I see points in one direction. This is a really lousy wound pickup (might *sound* good thou) that someone have tried to “fix” using tape (originally on both sides) to hold the windings in place so that they doesn’t get destroyed when the cover is placed over the coil. Everything I see gets me to think that is a cheepo pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve00 Posted July 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 These are Fender vintage noiseless pickups that I bought brand new from guitar center. Did I get a bad batch or is this typical of Fender? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Return them immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 (edited) Most pickups come with sticky cloth tape (black) covering the windings. Was there some of that tape on yours and, if so, did you remove it? That could easily cause windings to end up like that if they were not originally potted. Removing that tape could cause your claim to become invalid, sort of like voiding the warranty. Edited July 11, 2007 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve00 Posted July 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 No cloth tape on the pickups. There is tape on the one side only, which can be seen in the pictures. The side with the loose windings did not have anything covering it. I plan on returning them. The other pickups are a little loose on the same side, but not as bad as the one in the above pictures. I'm worried if I get another set of these same kind that I'll run into the same problem. Has anyone else had these quality issues with Fender pickups? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 I figured it might be a stacked HB. Amazing to se that Fender have that low QC standards. And plastic office type tape to protect the coil! OK, it would be hard to fit cloth tape between the coil and the cover, but anyway… When going back to guitar center, demand to see the inside of your new pickups before you purchase them. And please report back to inform us if the new once have that plastic tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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